Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has begun building the Brasada Gas Plant in La Salle County, TX, which is expected to come online in 2Q2013 with initial capacity to process up to 200 MMcf/d of liquids-rich natural gas from the Maverick Basin, where the company operates on about 400,000 gross acres.

The plant, being developed on 156 acres just south of Cotulla, TX, could be expanded to process up to 400 MMcf/d, an Anadarko spokesperson told NGI‘s Shale Daily.

“At the close of 2011, Anadarko installed approximately 380 miles of oil and gas pipeline in southwest Texas, including multiple compression sites, gathering points and a 90,000 bbl oil terminal for storage and access to market,” the spokesperson said. “The company is expanding this infrastructure throughout 2012 by adding another 200 miles of gathering lines, plus two pipelines from our central delivery point to the Brasada Gas Plant, which will transport unprocessed natural gas and natural gas liquids.”

Anadarko has doubled the number of identified drill sites in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas to about 4,000 and increased its estimated net resources in the field to more than 600 million boe. The company plans to run 10 operated rigs in the play and expand its midstream infrastructure this year to align with anticipated production growth (see Shale Daily, March 14).

Anadarko and two other sponsors of the proposed Texas Express Pipeline (TEP) in March said shippers had stepped up for long-term contracts for capacity and the natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline project would move forward (see Shale Daily, March 7). The 20-inch diameter TEP mainline is to run 580 miles to Enterprise Product Partner’s NGL fractionation and storage complex at Mont Belvieu, TX, and would provide access to other third-party facilities in the area.

Earlier this year Net Midstream’s Eagle Ford Midstream LP said it planned to construct a 105-mile, 24- and 30-inch diameter extension of its existing pipeline, supported by a long-term gas transportation agreement with Anadarko (see Shale Daily, March 26). The extension would transport residue gas from Western Gas Partners LP’s Brasada gas processing plant in LaSalle County to interstate and intrastate pipelines at the Agua Dulce Hub in Nueces County, TX. The first phase of the expansion is to enter service in December with completion expected next April.